The semi-weekly fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-09-04
O'BRIEN CONVICTED.
The Irish Editor Sentenced to
Three Months Imprisonment.
The Prisoner Takes Ana ppeal,
and is Released On Bail.

The trial of William O'Brien, VI. P, the
Irish editor and Home Rule leader, for sedi-
tious utterances during the eviction of tenants
at Mitchellstown, ended in verdict Of guilty
by the jury. The accused man was sentenced
to three months Imprisonment. Notice of
appeal from the judgment OF the court was
given.
Mr.. O'Brien spoke 70 the court and jury in
his own defense. Replying to the charge
made against him of having used seditious
language in public address, he declared that
the court was not competent to try him be-
cause it was foreign in its composition to the
requirements of the British Constitution
Atthis point the Judge stopped Mr. O'Brien,
saying the discussion of politics would not be
allowed in the proceedings.
Mr.. O'Brien tnereWpon declared that he
was a chosen representative of the Irish
people and would advocate free speech. The
court again stopped him.
Mr. O'Brien then said that the Crown
was guilty of having suppressed evil
dence favorable to him. The Crown
had withheld, for instance, the notes
made by the head-cOnstable OF the defend
ants speech. In those notes, he said. was re-
corded his statement that the Irish party
would give the Land bill fair play. Con-
tinuing Mr.. O'Brien justified his defence of
the klngStOwn tenants on the ground that the
evictions against them were begun Just on the
eve of the passage of the Land Bill, and thus
an attempt was made to defraud the poor,
wretched tenants of the benefits Of the meas
ure. He admitted that he had advised the
tenants not TO give up without resistance,
and that he had declared that, before God
and man, they We're justified in defending
their homes.
Mr.. O'Brien spoke brilliantly, notw it'll
standing the Interruptions by the court, and
Ha1 10 Tod fhof
his advice had prevented evictiOnS, and that
q hundred tenants in MichellStOwn now pos
sessed homes who would have been house
less if his advice had not been
adopted. The suppression of Constable
OSullivan's honest report, he said, showed
the means adopted to secure conviction. He
preferred breaking the law with John Hamp-
den and George Washington to Obeying the
law which Captain Plunkett ard Stand
ish O'Grady administered. Personally
he felt very proud of being one of
long line of men who had made a prison cell
a glorious and holy place. Possibly he him
self would be the last of that long line, for the
English nation, to which the Last appeal must
be made would reverse the decision pro-
nOunced to-day and declare it no longer a
crime to defend the homes and assert the lib
critics of the Irish people.
Immediately after science had been pro-
nounced on MIR. OBrien on the first charge
he placed on trial on the second charge.
This was the same nature as the other. Upon
this he was also found guilty and was SEN
fenced to three months imprisonment the
term to be concurrent with the other. Mr..
O Brien appealed from both judgments and
was liberated on bail
John Vaudeville, Chairman of the Board
of Poor Law Guardians of MitchellstOwn, who
was jointly indicted with Mr. O'Bren for
using seditious language in a speech made on
the same occasion as Mr.. O'Brien's, was also
convicted and sentenced to two months inn
prisonment. Mr.. Vaudeville appealed from
the Judgment and was permitted to remain at
liberty on bail pending the decision of the APP
peal.
Mr.. OBrien, when he emerged from the
courtroom after the trial, was received en-
Enthusiastically by large crowd which had
assembled to testify their approval of his
course